Although the Beltline is a recent development in Atlanta, I'm kinda kicking myself for not discovering it sooner. For those of you who don't live in Atlanta, the Beltline is a like a giant urban hiking trail. It was built on top of the old historic railroad corridors running all throughout the city. The Beltline is a whopping 22-miles long, and connects 45 different neighborhoods in Atlanta. The beginning of the Beltline is quite conveniently located in Little 5 Points, which is about 8 minutes from my house. In my half-marathon days, I would run a handful of miles on the Beltline with my dad, but now I prefer to "run/walk", or just walk.
Since the beginning of the summer, I have been making up for lost time by exploring the Beltline every weekend (at least when the temperature is below 90 degrees). The walkway is lined with urban art, skateparks, and various restaurants and businesses. There are constantly people on the Beltline walking, roller blading, biking, jogging, ect. The popularity is great, but can also be treacherous. You must stay alert on the Beltline, or else someone or thing on wheels might run you down. I've had several close encounters with reckless child bikers...
I've always gravitated towards graffiti an art form, and the Beltline has some of the most interesting and awesome graffiti in Atlanta. Graffiti is an Atlanta staple, and in my opinion is under valued in the art world. I love the temporariness of graffiti; you never know how long a piece will remain because it could get removed, or covered by a new artist. Today I walked with some friends to Piedmont Park (which is a large park located in the heart of Atlanta) using the Beltline. Driving, the park would be about 15 minutes from my house, but the Beltline reduces the distance to a scenic 2-mile walk.
If you know me at all, you probably know about my love affair with smoothies. I'm a regular at both the Smoothie King in Memphis and Atlanta, and the workers know my order by heart. The Arden's Garden conveniently located on the Beltline gives me just another reason to go on a walk or run. A cold smoothie is the perfect reward for walking a few hours in the massive heat wave that is Atlanta in the summertime. By the time we reached Arden's Garden, we were definitely ready for some shade and relaxation. I ordered a peach banana smoothie with an orange juice base and added spinach. Yes, the added spinach is a super granola thing to do, but I'm anemic and spinach has a ton of iron. Although the spinach made my smoothie look more like toxic waste than a fruity drink, it was still delicious (and you can't taste the spinach at all). For those of you who don't enjoy your vegetables, I would really recommend getting them in smoothies because you really don't notice the taste (if you can get past the off-putting color, that is).
The Beltline is truly a great addition to the city; it has brought development to run-down areas, connected diverse neighborhoods, and encouraged Atlantians to get out of their cars and explore the city. FILA.
The Beltline is truly a great addition to the city; it has brought development to run-down areas, connected diverse neighborhoods, and encouraged Atlantians to get out of their cars and explore the city. FILA.